Sidestep
by TheRebelFlower
Summary: Wheeler takes Linka on a mystery vacation. Rating will change at some point...
1. Chapter 1

Sidestep

A Captain Planet fanfiction (Nov. 7, 2000 - …)

By Isabelle Saucier

isauciervideotron.ca

(I'll say it once)

Disclaimer: All Captain Planet characters are copywrited TBS/WB/etc. and are used without permission. This is a fanfiction, solely written because of my interest in the series and not to make profit of any kind.

Warning: The following fanfiction contains adult matter which may not suit everyone. Reader's discretion advised.

(If you are not a fan of Wheeler and Linka getting closer, this fanfiction is not for you!)

Note: the bits in Russian are written as close as what they should sound like; the context usually provides enough information to understand what is said, but I can provide a translation if asked. :)

--This story was not thought out as "separate chapters", so I apologize in advance if some of the places where I cut seem a little strange. J

Chapter 1

" … directly linked to the synaptic action. Such a response would trigger a faster…"

Linka rubbed her eye with the ball of her thumb. No matter what Gi said, this textbook was not interesting. It was technical, lengthy, and difficult to understand. Yet it was an important source of information for anyone pursuing a career in biological sciences as both young women were.

For some reason, the eco-villains had calmed down lately. Some were serving time; others, the planeteers hoped, had wised up. This left the five young people time to relax and catch up on their studies. Gi and Ma-Ti had gone on a trip to Europe a few weeks back. Linka had contemplated the idea herself, but pushed the idea away, thinking it would be more practical and useful to study. _"Wheeler would call me the perfect party pooper,"_ she thought with a smile, resuming her reading.

She tried her best for a page or two more, but gave up and let the book close on her lap. "Where is Wheeler anyway?" she wondered, looking out her cabin's window.

The American planeteer had not been around much lately. He was more than likely sleeping his days away, or resting on the beaches around the island. "I wish I could be this carefree sometimes," she said aloud, standing up and putting the book on her desk as she walked to the window.

The day was gorgeous. A light wind was blowing and only a few clouds were lining the skies. A stroll on the beach was very tempting, maybe a little swim as well… Linka walked away from the window to change into a bathing suit.

She was gathering her long, blonde, hair into a ponytail when she heard a knock on her cabin door. Letting her hair fall back onto her shoulders, she walked to the door and opened it to come across the only pair of blue eyes that could bring both the warmest feeling to her heart and make her angry beyond words... "Oh, it's you," the young Russian let out, leaving the door open and moving back to her mirror to finish fixing her hair.

"Glad to see that as always you are stunned by my presence," the newcomer replied, putting his hands to his hips.

The smile he saw in the mirror prompted him to come in. He closed the door behind himself and stood in the middle of the room. "How ya doin', Babeouska?" he asked.

"Babeouska is bored and is going to take a walk on the beach. Do you feel you are out of hibernation enough to come along?" Linka replied, turning around to face him.

She knew that such an invitation was somewhat risky considering Wheeler's tendency to find some sort of mischief to do—such as running after her with a crab in his hand or throwing her into the cold water before she was ready for it-but somehow, something in him always brought her back. Maybe he would act like a gentleman this time… he was, after all, pushing twenty-five. The transfer from boy to man should happen soon, right? Right?

Wheeler gave her half a smile and cocked his head. "Very tempting indeed… but what if I told you that I had a better idea than this?"

Linka crossed her arms on her chest. "I am almost afraid to ask," she commented.

"What, you don't trust me? I'm profoundly hurt!" he exclaimed, trying to sound very insulted.

"You look it," she replied with a smirk, sitting on her bed. "What is your 'better' idea?"

He shrugged, his arms rising to his sides to accentuate the movement. "You'd have to trust me for that. Sorry."

"_Vseoh_ _ravnoh_," she shrugged back, hiding the fact that he had made her curious about what he had in mind.

"Don't 'too bad' me," he began scolding her and noticed the book she had left on the desk. "Another one? What's this… animal biology? A degree in computer science wasn't enough?" he protested as he leafed through the manual.

"I will try for a degree in ornithology at the University of Moscow," she replied, standing up and walking to him.

Wheeler's brow rose a few seconds, showing either his approval or the fact that he was impressed, then he frowned at one of the pictures in the book. "Eww, looks like a messed up liver or something," he let out.

The young Russian peered over his shoulder to see what he was looking at. "It is," she replied.

"Oh that's gross!" he exclaimed, snapping the book close and tossing it on the desk, a look of pure disgust on his face.

Linka could not help but chuckle at his reaction but sobered up as she saw him move toward her closet. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I like my idea much more than this," he commented, gesturing toward the desk. "Where is your suitcase?"

"My… my suitcase?"

"Yep. Suitcase… uh… _cheemodan_?"

"_Chyemadahn_," she corrected him absently, "Come out from this closet!"

He did, but had the time to find the black suitcase and put it on Linka's bed. "I'm taking you on a vacation," he said, looking up at her and smiling.

Linka stared back at him with an expression halfway between disbelief and confusion. "Excuse me?" she managed to blurt out.

"You've heard me, Babe."

"Where?" she snorted.

"That's the fun part," he began, walking to her and grabbing her shoulders. "I'm not telling you."

She cocked one eyebrow. "And you expect me to go along with this?" she asked.

He bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Of course!" He left her to return to the closet. "Let's see… you'll need this… and this… and maybe that…" he said to himself as he went through her clothes and selected items.

Linka took a few seconds to react and when she finally walked to him to stop him, he whirled around and gave her the bundle of clothes he had gathered. "Oh, and you'll need that, too," he said enthusiastically, pulling lightly on one of her swimsuit shoulder straps.

"Where?" she repeated, still holding the clothes.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out… once we're there."

She frowned at him. "Then I am not going. I would need a very good reason to follow you—alone of all things—anywhere."

He shook his head in a mock-exasperated way. He walked to the desk, where he lifted the book. "Messed-up livers," and then pointed the bed where the suitcase was. "Dream vacation with the greatest guy on Earth. Do I really need to convince you, Babe?"

He waved the book in her direction, giving her one of his confident smiles. He wore his hair shorter on the nape of his neck now, and was a little broader in the shoulders now that she thought of it. She found him more and more attractive with the years and his crazy-yet-a-little-toned-down-by-adulthood side had become appealing and contagious to her. Still, it had taken her some time to even admit to herself that she had very strong feelings for him, and her pride and fear of the unknown still kept her from behaving toward him as a "normal" girlfriend would.

Him bolting in and having wild ideas was not unusual in itself. Not anymore. Yet it still intimidated her. At the same time, she was curious about this mystery destination and honestly tempted to leave her study books behind for a little while. But to jump blindly like this? "Greatest guy on Earth, eh?" she asked, trying not to smile.

"Or messed-up livers. The choice is obvious."

"And how long would this, 'thing', last?"

"Sounds so charming the way you say it," he replied, letting the book fall back on the desk and losing his smile. "You have such a knack for ruining moods… you couldn't be spontaneous for once in your life, could you? It would hurt you too much. Or mess up your reputation. Or something."

She stiffened, miffed by the comment. This was an open challenge. She stared, still holding the bundle of clothes, as he shook his head and went to the door to leave. "Never mind all this," he grumbled, opening the door.

The young woman took in a sharp intake of air and, feeling a slight blush color her cheeks, called out: "What else would I need on this 'dream vacation'?" before he completely exited the cabin.

He stopped in the doorway, and slowly turned around. The expression on his face was either surprise, triumph, or maybe a mix of the two. In a few steps, he was in front of her again and kissed her once more. "You won't regret this," he said in a confident tone of voice before walking past her to her dresser.

"I hope I will not," she sighed, then plopped the bundle of clothes on her bed. "Will you get away from there?" she half-asked, half-ordered, moving to stand between him and the dresser. "I have gotten the picture. I will pack my things. Do not worry."

She realized that she had fallen somewhat into a trap when she saw him rest his hands on the dresser, one on each side of her. He leant forward slightly, a smile on his lips. "Simply tell me how long this will last, and I will pack consequently," she said, giving him a slight push to move him back.

He had expected her move and braced himself to remain where he was. Her push did not feel very convinced and he took it more as a jest than a real intention of moving him away from her. "How long would you want it to be, Babeouska?" he asked. "A week, two weeks, a month… you name it."

Linka closed her fingers on his shirt, smiling back. "It would help if I knew where we are supposed to be going," she began in a soft voice.

"Uh-huh. I'm not telling you. You could torture me and I still wouldn't." Seeing her dubitative pout, he added: "Tell you what gorgeous, pack for a week and if you're having so much fun you don't want to leave, we'll do the laundry."

Linka nodded in a "makes sense" way. "And what if I do not like it?" she asked.

"You will like it."

The young Russian only replied with half a smile. He felt her fingers open and close on his shirt, trying to tickle him gently. It was not working, and was rather stirring other feelings deep in his loins that he knew Linka was not interested in knowing about. He grabbed her hands and held them away from his stomach before she could suspect anything. "Torture won't work, I told you," he half said, half whispered.

"It does not mean I cannot try, _nyet_?" she asked in the same tone of voice, her smile slightly broadening, but her eyes looking down.

"True," he conceded.

"_I must be crazy… not too long ago I would have not even allowed him to do this… and now I am doing it myself!_" she told herself as she perked up a little so that her lips would nearly meet his. "Where did you tell me this place was again?" she asked innocently.

"It's not working," he replied, bringing his hands, still holding hers, behind his back so that she would hug him.

"And what made you choose this destination rather than another one?" she tried again.

"Uh-uh. I'm not gonna tell you anything. Not a hint."

"Have I been there before?"

"I don't know," he said in a tone that meant that he knew exactly, but would not tell her.

"Is it far from here?"

This time, he was sure she had moved forward since he felt her lips brush against his as she talked. "I'm gonna kiss you if you keep this up…" he warned, cupping her chin in one of his hands.

Linka's heart began thumping harder in her chest, but even as she felt a little naughty and guilty, she remained where she was and repeated her "Where?" in a barely audible whisper.

He shook his head slightly and brought her chin up. He had learned with the years not to rush her, even if sometimes it meant restraining his feelings and reactions. His kiss was slow and gentle, and the way he was holding her chin let her know that she could back off at any time. Which she did not, to both his surprise and delight. "I mustn't miss out this time, I have to impress her beyond words with this trip," he thought.

He felt her sigh against his cheek and hug him a little tighter. It would be better to back off before things went too far… He heard a noise coming from behind him. The young woman must have heard it as well since she released her grip slightly and moved to one side to see what was happening. Wheeler turned around himself to find someone standing at the door. The newcomer struggled a moment with whatever she was holding, but lost and part of it fell onto the floor. "Oh guys… I'm so sorry!" she moaned in a apologetic tone before fighting with another book in the pile she was carrying—and losing again. "My hands were full and I couldn't knock," she added, "I didn't know I was gonna…"

The young woman did not finish her sentence, set the rest of the books on Linka's desk and picked up the other ones off the floor. She looked back at the couple and raised her eyebrows, giving them her best puppy-eye look. Wheeler did not look too disturbed, but Linka had turned a nice shade of pink. "Good afternoon to you too, little mermaid," the young American commented.

Gi smiled at the nickname he used to call her. She knew he would not hold any grudge against her for interrupting them. She was not so sure in Linka's case however… "I brought all the books you were looking for, and a few extras," she explained to the young Russian.

"Really?" the other asked, brushing past Wheeler and walking to the books.

The young man followed her and swiftly removed the book she had just taken in her hands. When she tried to grab it back, he held his arm up, out of her reach. "Uh-uh. None of those, I forbid you," he stated.

She smiled back in a mischievous way, and Gi began to think that there was probably more to that kiss she had interrupted than she thought. "When are we leaving?" Linka asked the young man.

"Day after tomorrow," he replied, trying to see what she was getting at.

"Then I still have the time to read some," came her answer and she held out her hand for him to put the book back in.

"You're evil," he commented, grinning despite himself and handing her the book. "Maybe you should take her to the beach instead of me…" he then added in a whisper.

Linka nodded and could not help but laugh a little. "Now that you had what you wanted…" she commented.

He winked at her and exited the cabin. Linka looked at Gi and, seeming to remember something, leant out the open window. She called out after the young man, who turned around as he heard her. "What about dress clothes?" she asked.

He seemed to ponder the question a few seconds, and then replied: "Couldn't hurt. I'll see what I can do myself."

The young Russian nodded at him and came back fully into the cabin. She marked a pause, letting out an audible sigh and wondering in what she had gotten herself into. She then turned around to face Gi. The young Thai raised her eyebrows in a silent question. "He wants to take me on a trip," Linka explained in a slightly annoyed—or was it worried—tone.

"That's great! You two don't get alone together often enough. Where are you going?"

Linka hugged the book she was still holding. "That is the problem, I do not know."

The look of surprise on Gi's face was priceless, and had not Linka been a little worried about the situation herself, she would have burst out laughing. "And you have actually agreed to this, letting him take you somewhere you don't know about?"

The other planeteer only nodded, a guilty and worried look on her face. Gi frowned, but her smile showed that she was rather amused by the situation. "What did he do to you? Although I wonder if I should ask considering what I have interrupted…" she said.

"Oh, that," the young Russian replied in a seemingly carefree tone. "It was simply a low way to try to find out where he was taking me."

"Right. This was your sole purpose. No feelings in this I saw," Gi teased her.

"None," Linka replied, blushing furiously despite her smile, as she walked to her closet and began looking for something in it.

"No butterflies in the stomach?"

"No.

"Lightheaded a little?"

"Nope."

"Not even that weird feeling that makes you want to mold yourself to his body and see if he's…"

"Gi?"

The young Thai laughed heartily, knowing she was right. "Did it work?"

Linka chuckled from inside the closet. "Molding myself against him or convincing him?"

Gi could not help but gape. "He did something to you, now I'm sure! I'm not certain I want to know the answer either… I meant convincing him."

"_Nyet_."

"And still you're going?"

Linka momentarily stepped out of the closet and looked at her friend. "He told me that I had no spontaneity and that I was afraid to do something crazy like following him blindly somewhere."

Gi put her hands on her hips. "You are."

"Of course I am. But I also have my pride."

"So you took on the challenge."

"I must be going soft with the years," came Linka's reply as she picked two things from the closet and held them in front of her, showing her friend. "What do you think?"

She was holding two dresses, a black one and a light blue one. Gi moved a few clothes on the bed and sat down. "Well, it depends of the effect you want to create," she replied. "The blue one will make you look like a beautiful, attractive butterfly."

Linka smiled back. "Really? And the black one?"

"Honestly?"

"Da."

"Utterly dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

Gi nodded with an even broader smile. "Dangerous," she repeated.

The young Russian glanced at both dresses in turn. "No spontaneity, eh?" she grumbled, before turning around and putting the blue dress back into the closet and hanging the black one in view.

Then, in a nervous and remorseful gesture, she stroked the soft fabric. "What am I doing?" she murmured.

"Come on, it's gonna be a lot of fun! All you have to do is sit back, relax, enjoy yourself and take every opportunity you can to show him how happy you are to be with him—alone with him, mind you."

Linka felt a strange twang in her stomach at her friend's words, and must have made a face because Gi added: "Do you have any idea of how beautiful you look when you let show that you love him?"

"I probably look like a fool," the young Russian grumbled.

Gi smiled and picked a pair of shorts on the bed to fold them. "Funny, just last year you would have said 'Don't be stupid, I don't love him, where did you get this silly idea?'."

"No. I would only have been mad at you. Now I admit it… in private… and not to him."

"As I said, you'll be alone…"

"_Da_, alone…" Linka whispered, touching the soft black fabric once again and making Gi smile, as the young Thai was now convinced that she had interrupted more than a persuasive kiss…


	2. Chapter 2

Sidestep

A Captain Planet fanfiction (Nov. 7, 2000 - …)

By Isabelle Saucier

isauciervideotron.ca

For the disclaimer, see Chapter 1…

Chapter 2

The morning of the young couple's departure for the mystery destination found Linka sleeping lightly after a tiresome and worrisome night. She had pondered the fact of refusing to go with Wheeler a good part of the night and had still not reached a solid decision.

When Wheeler slipped into her cabin, she did not react. He put the tray of food he was carrying on her desk and approached her bed. Taking a moment to look at her sleep, he noticed that she looked somewhat uneasy, and wondered why. He sincerely hoped that this vacation would do her some good, that he could look at her sleeping again and that she would look at peace and comfortable to be… with him, why not? The thought made him smile and he bent down to kiss her awake.

Linka felt the soft pressure on her lips, but her mind was still groggy from sleeping and she did not react right away. But when she realized what was happening, she fully awoke in a start, shrieked in protest-as much as she could considering her mouth was covered-and stroke.

Hard.

Her hand connected with the young American's face with surprising accuracy considering Linka had been sleeping a few seconds before, and he backed off, stunned and in pain. Linka realized almost at the same time what she had just done and jumped out of bed to go to her friend. "I did not know it was you!" she protested, reaching out to touch his face.

"That's okay, I didn't need my teeth anymore," he grumbled.

He gently pushed her hand away and wiped his nose. "I think you broke it," he added, looking at the splatter of blood on the back of his hand.

He brushed past her and walked to her bathroom to try to stop his nose from bleeding. Linka watched him go, then looked at the desk, where the tray of food still was. She groaned remorsefully and followed him. "What was the big idea, anyway?" she could not help but ask.

Wheeler looked back at her, holding a wet facecloth to the side of his face. He was about to reply something mean, but changed his mind. "This is not how it happens in the movies, you know. You're supposed to wake up fresh as a rose, smiling at life… you know…"

"As I said, I did not know it was you," she replied, taking the facecloth from his hand and rinsing it into the sink.

"Yeah? And what if you had known it was me?"

She marked a pause. "I would have probably reacted the same way."

"Or worse… ow!"

"I am barely touching you," she said in a smile, dabbing at his nose with the facecloth.

"Kinda kills the whole thing if I actually have to wake you up first… ack, look at me. I'll look like Bozo the clown most of the week now!"

The young Russian stared at him in the bathroom mirror and could not help but chuckle at his slightly swollen and reddish nose before walking back into her room. "Glad you find it amusing," he muttered from the bathroom. "That's what I get for trying to be nice!"

She rolled her eyes as she heard him, and reached the desk. He had obviously gone through a lot of trouble to bring her all this already cut fruit, and muffins, and even coffee… he had forgotten again that she did not take milk in hers, but she decided not to complain. It would not have been fair to him. She selected a muffin, cut it in half and put some jam on it. Wheeler came out of the bathroom as she was reaching it. She handed him half of the muffin and, despite his saying "I ate already", he took it and ate it. Growing boy, she remembered. "I was just here to see if you were awake, and take your luggage to the Cruiser. That's all for you," he added.

"Oh."

"I just hope I don't get clobbered like this all week… where is your suitcase?"

She looked down at the muffin half she still held. "Wheeler, I…"

He marked a pause, then sighed, looking at the ceiling. "You don't really want to go, and you don't know how to tell me because you only accepted this as a challenge."

Sometimes his insightfulness was amazing, considering it was unexpected, and even if as in this case it was not exact. Or at least, not complete. "That is not what I was going to say," she said softly, taking a piece off the muffin and nibbling on it.

"You know we don't have to go," he commented, trying ineffectively to hide his disappointment.

"Don't say things like that, you will make me have doubts!" she complained.

He rolled his eyes, his arms going up in a "why bother" gesture. "Trust me, the last thing I want is for you to go along just because you said you would, or because you pity me, or something of the like. I can only imagine the kind of trip that would make." He ran his hand through his hair. "I just wish you had told me earlier if you were gonna refuse in the end."

"I have agreed two days ago. I am true to my word."

"I'm not interested in your word if you don't feel like going."

She took another piece of muffin and ate it, smiling. It was better if he did not know about the convincing effect such lucidity and frankness had on her, as he would then try to fake it even if he did not mean it afterwards. "Promise me that if I do not like it, we will leave."

He looked at her in silence. She had tied her hair in a ponytail before going to sleep, but now a few wisps of it were falling back around her face. She was wearing one of those shapeless pant and shirt sleepwear combinations that left everything to the imagination… somehow, this did not seem to bother him. "You're beautiful," he croaked before he could catch himself.

"_Ya_ _nee odetaya_!" she protested feebly.

"I know you're not dressed."

"Wheeler!" she exclaimed, unsure what bothered her the most between his comment and the fact that he understood more and more Russian with time… or was it the fact that she was more troubled than angry at the comment? "You did not answer my question," she added, swatting at his stomach and walking to the desk.

She took a sip of coffee, then looked back up at him and laughed gently. "What?" he asked.

She made a general hand movement toward him. "You look as if someone has splattered borscht on you."

"It's not that bad. And yes," he replied, instinctively touching his nose.

"Yes what?"

"The second you say you don't like it, we leave. We could be in the middle of something; it doesn't matter. We'll leave. How's that?"

"Fair enough," she said after a pause and a sip of coffee. "The suitcase is behind you, next to my dresser."

The young man looked where she indicated and picked the black suitcase up. He was going to exit the cabin when he remembered something. "Oh yeah, we're dropping Ma-Ti off at the Talbots' on our way."

Linka smiled behind the rim of her coffee mug. "Yellowstone Park, eh?" she asked.

"Doesn't mean a thing. Better luck next time Babeouska."

"Does Ma-Ti know where we are going?"

"No. And he won't unless he forces it out of my head. Which he won't."

She pouted. "This will be a mystery until the end," she sighed.

"Yep. You taking this too?" he asked, showing her the clothes bag hanging on her closet door.

Linka nodded, feeling her face heat up a bit because she thought about the black dress in the bag. Wheeler weighed the clothes bag. "You don't seem to have much in there. Maybe I can put my stuff there too and we can save a bag."

Glad with his idea, he flung the clothes bag over his shoulder and walked to her. "I honestly think we both need this," he said in a low voice before bending forward slightly to kiss her forehead.

Letting him kiss her had been yet another thing she had to become used to. She had found out with time that the more she let him, the more it felt normal and natural… and the more his kisses were more interesting, more… adult-like. She thought about the black dress again and felt herself blush a little. "Let us see how adult-like he reacts when he sees that," she thought.

"_Spasseeba_ _zah zavtrah_," she said gently to hide her trouble.

"As long as you like it, gorgeous. I'll come back later to pick the leftovers up. Take your time to get dressed and all."

She shook her head. "I will do it. Just go get Ma-Ti and have the Cruiser set. Since I do not know where we are going, I cannot help you with the navigational system," she added in a half-mocking, half-scolding tone of voice.

He sighed. "Fine! I'll let you choose the hotel!"

Linka's expression changed to one of surprise. "You have not chosen a hotel? How could you not have chosen a hotel? What if there are no rooms left?"

"Always the worry bug… Considering that I didn't know if you were really gonna agree to this, and the actual length of our stay there, I could not make reservations."

The logic of the argument left her speechless long enough for him to wriggle his eyebrows at her and leave the cabin, saying: "See you later."

She could not help but pull her tongue at him, even if she knew he could not see her. She changed as she finished her breakfast, leaving her hair loose on her shoulders and back. At the last minute, she remembered that they were stopping by the Talbots' and grabbed her jacket on her way out, holding the now empty breakfast tray in her other hand. She stopped by the main hut first to put the dishes away, then headed for the Cruiser's runway. Ma-Ti was already at the plane, standing on one of the wings to look at something in the main cabin. He turned around when he heard the young woman, and greeted her with a broad smile. "Good morning!" he exclaimed, jumping off the wing.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Linka replied, unable to resist his catchy state of mind and smiling back.

"Laura said that they have three new calves! Born last night."

"_Boshe_ _moy_!"

"That's always the way it happens, she says. Nothing, nothing, then wham! All at the same time!"

Linka nodded understandingly. He had grown again, she thought. Soon enough he would be taller than even Kwame. "Laura will be exhausted after such a night. She will need your support and love," she commented.

"Do not worry about that," he assured her, his baritone voice showing a hint of mischief among all the love he had for Laura Talbot.

"To say he was just a little boy when we first met," Linka thought, her smile broadening. "The next thing we know, he will be the first to marry!"

She looked around, searching for Wheeler. "He went back for something," Ma-Ti explained.

The young Russian nodded, then after a glance toward the cabins, asked in a low tone of voice: "Do you know where he is taking me?"

Ma-Ti laughed heartily. "No. Sorry. And I respect his wish for me not to try and find out, either."

Linka winced in dismay, but did not say anything. They waited a few moments, then saw Wheeler coming from the cabins. He was holding the clothes bag. "Nifty dress you have in there," he commented.

"I should have picked the blue one," she mumbled, making Ma-Ti struggle not to laugh.

Both planeteers followed Wheeler into the small aircraft. "Where are Gi and Kwame?" Linka asked as she settled down in the right front seat, next to Wheeler.

"I let them sleep since we have said our goodbyes last night," the young American explained while setting some controls on the panel next to him. "Well people, let's get this show on the road!" he added, closing the Cruiser's hatch and starting the engine.

Suchi, Ma-Ti's pet spider monkey, was sleeping on one of the empty seats. He woke up in a start at the sound of the engines and ran into Ma-Ti's comforting arms, chattering angrily all the way. The young Kayapo stroked the bristled fur on his monkey's back and murmured a gentle "heart" to calm him down. Suchi settled almost instantly on his lap and fell back to sleep. Ma-Ti thought of imitating him for a moment. The cabin was silent, as Wheeler was concentrating on piloting and Linka was sitting quietly, probably getting some rest herself. He looked out the window, at the clouds floating by them, and the somewhat repetitive sights made him even drowsier. He closed his eyes and let sleep gain over him.

He was awoken an hour or so later by Linka saying: "I still cannot believe that you have not looked into hotels."

Wheeler sighed. "So we're still discussing this."

"It just overwhelms me!"

"I could not make reservations somewhere without knowing if you liked it or not, and not without knowing the length of our stay, if there was a stay in the first place."

"You could have at least-"

"Look, I may not be as bright as you, but I'm not that stupid. I did look at what was around, and I did enquire to see if there were going to be rooms available for us at least somewhere. I just thought you might have liked to be a part of all this. Excuse me, princess," he snapped back in an irritated tone of voice.

Ma-Ti shook his head. How they could argue so much and still somewhat remain a couple was beyond him. "I thought you two were going on vacation together," he commented.

"We are," came Wheeler's answer but he did not turn around to look at his friend.

Linka remained silent, looking out the porthole. Ma-Ti had to fight the urge to use his power to calm them down, as this matter did not concern him. Still, he hated to see his friends like this. He heard Linka mumble something in Russian, and the young American replied in a low voice: "I'm sad to see that you have so little confidence in me."

The young woman sighed, then stood up and went to the back of the plane to lock herself in the tiny bathroom. Wheeler ran a hand through his hair, but said nothing. Ma-Ti petted his monkey for a little while, then sent a wave of comfort to Linka, then Wheeler. He did not add anything else; he was not sure of what the heart of the conflict was, so he preferred not to say anything rather than saying something wrong.

After a moment, Linka came out of the bathroom, walked toward the front of the aircraft, and stopped next to Wheeler. She marked a pause, bent down, and gave him a butterfly kiss on his temple before sitting back down in her seat. This was as close as he would get to an apology and he knew it. "Just trust me on this, would you? I really want to show you a good time. Please, let me?"

Linka kept staring at her hands on her lap. "_Look at how vilely he is trying to seduce me with…_" blushing, the young woman did not finish her thought, but Ma-Ti had grabbed the concept and could not help but smile.

"_Is it working?_" he asked back in thought.

"Yes!" she let out aloud, sounding a little discouraged.

Wheeler gave her a strange look. "You don't have to sound so desperate."

"Sorry," she muttered, not explaining why she had replied the way she had.

He stared at her some more, then looked away, but his face was lit up with a grin. "What?" Linka asked, unsure if she should smile back or worry.

He pressed a few buttons on the Cruiser's console, then stood from his seat to lean over the young woman's. "Why, excuse me," she muttered when he "accidentally" brushed against her to do something on her side of the console.

She saw him bite his lip to prevent any roguish comment from coming out. "Have a look at these and tell me which one you like best," he then said, before regaining his own seat.

"Based on pictures like this?" Her tone of voice was dubious.

"It's called 'spur of the moment'."

She shook her head, but said nothing. Ma-Ti leant on the back of her seat, before saying: "I like this one."

He was pointing at one of the pictures on the far right corner of the screen. Linka hummed. "I do not know… how about this one?" she asked him, pointing at another picture.

The young Kayapo smiled, seeing that Linka was actually taking an interest in this hotel shopping activity. He glanced over at Wheeler. The American had enough wisdom in him to look very busy and concentrated on his piloting rather than looking at Linka and smirking or making stupid comments.

The young Russian looked carefully at each picture, biting her lip and tugging at a strand of her hair in a mechanical way. "How much longer until we reach the Talbots'?" Ma-Ti asked Wheeler to change the subject.

"Shouldn't be too long. In a hurry to see your girl, ain't ya?"

"Can you blame me?"

"Nah," Wheeler replied, glancing Linka's way.

She either did not hear him or did not feel concerned, because she did not react. Wheeler concentrated on his piloting once more and Ma-Ti settled back into his seat. After a short while, Linka asked aloud: "Which one would you choose, Wheeler?"

"Trying to get influenced, are we? I'll only tell you when you have chosen," he replied with a smile.

"_Kanyeshna_," she muttered, frowning slightly at the tongue he pulled out at her. "Okay, so I choose this one," she stated, pointing at a picture showing a nice garden setting with a tower-like hotel in the background.

The young American pushed on the autopilot buttons again and moved over to her side to see better. "Good choice. My favorite, too," he commented.

Linka gave him a dubious look. "You are just saying that."

He shook his head. "They have huge balconies and trees—probably attracts lots of birds."

The young woman gaped, not expecting him to consider this in his choice of places to stay. "I told you I wanted you to have a good time," he whispered before erasing the pictures from the screen.

"_He is so unpredictable,_" she thought as he "accidentally" brushed against her arm again. "_He will act like a clown one moment, and the next, he will be like that-caring, and remembering things I like_…"

She instinctively touched his hand as he moved away. He smiled back at her, but said nothing. When Linka looked out at Ma-Ti in the Geo Cruiser's porthole, she was relieved to see that he was conveniently looking outside.

The rest of the trip was mostly silent, except for when Wheeler told everyone that they were about to land close to the Talbots' ranch. The three planeteers spotted a lone figure waiting by the barn. When the Geo Cruiser finally touched down, the figure began to run toward them. Ma-Ti had recognized her way before the two others; the moment he could open the hatch, he did, and literally ran out to his beloved.

Linka could not help but smile as the young Kayapo and Laura fell—somewhat overdramatically—in each other's arms, kissing and hugging fiercely. When she saw that the young American was about to exit the plane, she reached out and held him back. "Leave them a few moments. How would you like it if someone barged in while you were in such an intimate moment?" she said.

"I'd say 'Good afternoon to you too, Little Mermaid'," he replied, staring out at the young couple.

"She did not do it on purpose," she countered with a smile.

"Of course not," he snorted.

She turned his head toward her and away from the porthole. "_Levoushka, nee smotree_," she scolded him gently.

"I'm quite jealous right now," he began, then frowned. "What did you just call me?"

She turned a deep shade of red when she realized that she had used the sweet name she was secretly calling him. From her reaction, he suspected that he should like being called that. "Really jealous, you know. You'd better find a way to keep me from staring," he added.

"That is so lame."

"Admit that there was a chance it would work."

She pulled her tongue at him, and he imitated her, struggling not to laugh. "So… what's a _levoushka_?" he asked.

"Something you should not have heard, now forget about it."

"Fat chance. Tell me."

"Search and find it yourself," she replied before kissing him on his nose. "Now, let us go before they start wondering and come over."

He followed her out the Geo Cruiser and rolled his eyes in mocked exasperation when he saw that Ma-Ti and Laura were still hugging. "Come on, man, I want a hug too!" he complained, ignoring Linka's elbow in his stomach.

"Hey guys!" Laura exclaimed, leaving her boyfriend's warm embrace to hug the two other planeteers.

She invited them inside for coffee and a light snack. Despite Wheeler's will to leave immediately, Linka insisted that he rested, especially considering that he was the only one to know where they were going. "He is taking me on a mystery vacation," she explained for the benefit of Laura.

"Lucky girl! Hope you take full advantage of it," the other young woman replied with a knowing wink, making Linka realize that she definitely should not consider Ma-Ti like a boy anymore.

The two planeteers left shortly after, bringing along some cookies Laura had made and a thermos full of coffee for the road. Once they were up to their cruising altitude, the young Russian fetched her keyboard, which she had put in one of the storage compartments, and began to play. She tired after a little while and settled in more comfortably to doze off.

She only woke up when Wheeler began his approach to land. Although he could land the Geo Cruiser straight down, he used the standard method, so as to follow the airport's traffic. "So, where are we?" she asked, looking around, interested.

"Don't know," he replied, before stopping the Cruiser's engines and exiting on his side.

He walked around the aircraft and opened the hatch on her side. "Come on beautiful," he prompted, opening his arms to her and giving her his best smile.

"I can come out by myself, you know," she commented.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't get to hold you that way," he replied, winking at her. "Can you do the safety check? I'll get the luggage out."

"_Da_. I can do this."

She went around the plane and verified several gauges and items as she went. Once she was done, she joined Wheeler, who closed the luggage hatch and picked up all the bags. "I can carry some," the young woman said.

"You are on vacation."

"So are you."

"Ha, ha. _Kak_ _smeshna_," he replied, shaking his head slightly and frowning in mock annoyance.

"Very good!" she praised him, always happy to hear him practice.

To her, this was actually a greater display of care than presents or even this whole vacation concept. It meant he was interested in her and what she was. "Still, Babeouska, I'll be all set. You just have to open doors for me if need be," he commented.

As if to challenge him, she took one of the lighter bags from him and settled it on her shoulder, gratifying him with a mischievous smile. "Still, _Levoushka_, I will be able to take something."

"Again with the _levoushka_ thing! This is bad, you know."

"What is?"

"You look like you're enjoying yourself."

"_Gospadi_, he's right!" she thought, but only replied with an enigmatic smile before moving forward.

Wheeler followed her as she walked toward the closest building. "We'll have to go through the main terminal because we'll catch the shuttle to the hotel. I might be on vacation, but I'm still environmentally-conscious enough to take mass transportation when I can," he explained.

"And when do I get to know where we are?" she asked.

"Well, if it were just me, I'd probably blindfold you until we get inside the hotel…"

"_Nee doomayoo!_"

"I didn't think so either. So I guess you'll find out somewhere in the terminal."

"Better be on the lookout then," she concluded before opening the door for him to go through.

They walked through several smaller hallways, Wheeler seemingly knowing where he was going and Linka following along. To be truthful, Wheeler was slightly worried he had taken a wrong turn in following the airport employee's directions, but he did not want to show it. He hid a sigh of relief when they arrived in a more general area of the terminal. He crossed the hall, avoiding passer-bys, but stopped and turned around when he realized that Linka was not behind him anymore.

He spotted her farther off. She was standing there, staring at something with a surprised or disbelieving expression on her face.

The young man walked back to where she was. "What's wrong princess?" he asked.

She began to giggle uncontrollably, barely holding on to her bag so it did not slip from her grasp. "What are you looking at anyw… oh."

He understood right away when he saw what was causing her laughter. "You have taken me to (more giggles)… you have taken me to… Disneyland?"

He was not certain if she was either stating something, or asking a question. "We don't have to go there, but the hotel is located across the street from it, yeah."

"It is not!" she protested, looking at him with still disbelieving, yet hopeful eyes.

"That's what they say in the hotel's brochure," he replied.

She began to laugh again, unable to stop herself. Wheeler frowned at the colorful Mickey Mouse poster which was apparently at the origin of all this. "I fail to see how this is funny, Babeouska," he commented, noticing that people around them had begun to look at them a little strangely.

"You have taken me to Disneyland! Of all places! I cannot believe it!"

"Is that good or bad?"

Her only answer was a short fit of giggles. Then, suddenly, she flung herself onto him, the bag she was carrying slamming into his back as she hugged his neck and planted an almost ferocious kiss on his mouth. He grunted in pain and surprise when the bag hit him, but otherwise, went along with her.

When she let him go, he resisted the urge to rub his back where the bag had hit him. "So it's good," he said to confirm his very strong suspicions.

"Where did you get this silly idea?" she asked back, following him as he headed once again toward the ground transportation area.

"Dunno. Just did at some point." He shrugged. "You gotta admit it's better than messed-up livers, come on."

She nodded, grinning. This vacation business might not be so bad after all…


	3. Chapter 3

Sidestep

A Captain Planet fanfiction (Nov. 7, 2000 - …)

By Isabelle Saucier

isauciervideotron.ca

For the disclaimer, see Chapter 1…

Chapter 3

She was still smiling when they entered the hotel lobby. Wheeler had been right about Disneyland being across the street, the hotel looked very nice and clean, and there were many birds around. She followed the young American in as he approached the lobby counter confidently. A clerk noticed him and greeted him. "A beautiful day to you too my good man," Wheeler replied, ignoring Linka's muttered _Boshe_ _moy_. "I would like two connecting rooms for one week."

"I am sorry, but we do not offer connecting rooms, sir."

"No?" Wheeler looked somewhat disappointed but tried to hide it. "Then I'll take two rooms next to each other."

The clerk typed some information in his terminal, a dubious expression on his face. "It might be difficult, you have no reservations…" he commented.

Wheeler also ignored the young Russian's I-told-you-so stare as he waited for the clerk to come up with something. "The closest I can give you is this," he said as he took a small floor plan out to show him. "The first room would be here," he pointed at a room, "and the other one would be there."

His fingers showed two locations somewhat apart. "And that's the best you can do?" Wheeler asked.

"Afraid so," came the clerk's reply.

The young American scratched his head. Things were not going so well. He was about to ask if this really was the best he could do, or was even considering going to another hotel, when Linka, as if sensing his state of mind took a step forward and addressed the clerk. "Why complicate matters? Do you have a large room with two beds?" she asked.

"Of course." The man seemed almost relieved that she was taking over.

"Then there you go," she said with a charming smile. "For seven nights."

The clerk nodded. "To what name?"

She glanced at her companion, but he was staring at her strangely, obviously surprised by her initiative. "Angelika Stragavnah," she then replied, instinctively giving her own name.

"You'll have to spell that ma'am."

She did, and then had to fill out a form. When all was complete, the clerk handed her a small envelope containing electronic keys and showed her the way to their room on the floor plan. After graciously thanking the man, she picked up the bag she was previously carrying and motioned for Wheeler to follow her. He was still silent and staring at her, but the corners of his mouth had gone up in a strange smile.

They stepped in the elevator and the young woman pressed on the eighth floor button. "You wanted me to be spontaneous," she told the still silent Wheeler as a justification for what she had done in the lobby. "We have known each other for seven years. I do not think it will be the end of the word if we share a room…"

"I'm not complaining," he commented, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "You don't use your full name often," he added after a pause.

"Only for official matters."

"I like it," he smiled. "Doesn't fit you at all."

At the same moment, the door opened and he exited, chuckling as he heard her outraged "What?"

She half ran a few steps to reach him. "I mean you got the blonde hair and cute face and all that, but…"

She gave him one of her best grimaces and he jumped on the occasion. "See? See?"

She looked up and sighed, choosing not to pursue the conversation. "_Once a clown always a clown,_" she thought as she watched him struggle with the electronic key for a moment.

"Stupid thing," he muttered before unsuccessfully trying once more.

The young woman pushed him gently aside, took the key from his hand, and opened the door on her first trial. She gave him back the key, and nodded in acknowledgment when he said: "Uh, thanks," to her.

He walked past her in the room and put the luggage on one of the beds. She took one look at the room, and suddenly, it seemed very small for them to share. "_Shto_ _ya sdeelal_?" she wailed softly, frozen on the doorsill.

"I dunno what you did. Dropped something?" the young man asked as he came back toward her. "Here, let me take that," he added, taking the bag from her, apparently not noticing her worried look.

"_What are you so afraid of? He will not do anything to you. He knows better. He knows what 'no' means. Sometimes,_" she thought, not without smiling to herself and stepping forward and allowing the door to close behind her. "_Besides, otherwise you would be stuck alone in a room, in a place you do not know. Usually, Gi is there, but in this case… better off with him than having strange people knocking at the door of a lone woman._"

She took a second look at the space between the beds, and added "_Maybe_" to herself as she busied herself taking the dress clothes out of the bag and hanging them in the closet while the young American excused himself to go to the bathroom.

When he came out, she was out on the balcony. "Found the birds, I knew it," he commented with a smile, as he stepped out himself, scaring two of the little creatures away from her hands.

Linka whistled softly and one of the birds came back, perching on the balcony's rail. "Next thing you'll tell me is that we have to leave them bread crumbs or something," he added, smiling despite himself at the bird.

"Actually, no. We must not create a habit that will be a nuisance to both them and the other hotel guests. We will not be here all the time to feed them, and they will go to other humans who will not necessarily care for them."

"True enough," he conceded, approaching his finger from the little bird to pet it.

Apparently, the bird did not share his need for bonding, since it bit him back fiercely and flew off. Gasping in pain, the young man shook his hand before putting his finger in his mouth. Linka was laughing heartily, and gently shooed the other birds away before tugging on his arm. "Let me see," she coaxed him.

The injury was not serious, but Wheeler had to make a show out of it. "Anyway, I have a mission for you," he said, "I'd like to take a short nap because I'm tired from piloting."

Linka nodded. "Of course. But what does it have to do with me?"

"In the meantime, you could find some place to eat. I saw a phone book somewhere, and advertisements for tourists."

"Ah," she said, nodding knowingly, "the deciding girlfriend."

"I didn't say it," he warned her, shaking his finger at her, right before the bird came back to sit on it.

"That is so cute, _ptitshka_!" she giggled, applauding while he made a face.

"Oh, so the bird is cute."

"Who else could I be talking about?"

"The guy standing in front of you on the balcony, for example."

"Do not be silly. He is not cute."

"No? What is he?"

"Go take a nap," she chided him, pushing him towards the room.

"Avoiding the question, I see," he commented as she followed him inside and took the Yellow Pages and tourist guides she found on a desk.

The young woman smiled, but did not reply. Wheeler pulled the blankets away from one of the beds. "I forgot to ask," he began as he removed his shirt and tossed it carelessly on the other bed, leaving it where it was when it fell to the floor, "Care to join me?"

Linka raised her eyebrows, clearly unconvinced. "Your loss," he sighed, before reaching for his belt and starting to undo it.

"_Prekatitye_!" she exclaimed, blushing and turning away to leave.

"Better get used to it, that's how I sleep."

"Then we will have to find you sleeping pants."

"Don't think so!" he exclaimed as she closed the door to the balcony.

"Well, I do think so. No need to see your behind every day," she commented to herself, still red, yet holding back a giggle.

She remained on the balcony for a while, looking at the pamphlets, taking her time, watching the birds and resting for a little while, taking in some of the day's last sunrays. When she began to feel hungry, she stood up, and walked silently into the room.

The young American was sleeping, facing away from the sliding door. He had apparently succeeded in throwing every piece of clothing he had been wearing (minus his underwear, she hoped) on the floor between the beds.

Linka shook her head, and picked the clothes up mechanically, folding them and putting them on the other bed. "Wheeler, wake up. I am hungry," she said, unsure of how to wake him up.

"You're supposed to come over here and gently kiss me awake," he grumbled.

"I saw how well that worked this morning," she replied, picking up his jeans and throwing them at him. "Up with you, sleepyhead."

He sat up, running his hand through his tousled hair. "At least, I wouldn't have hit you."

"You would have done worse… hey!" she protested when he left the bed.

"Come on, it's no worse than a bathing suit," he argued as she turned her head away.

"You wear boxer shorts for a bathing suit, this is more…" she stopped talking as she realized she was not supposed to know so much and quickly glanced away from the room's mirror.

Wheeler straightened up, frowning, then smiled evilly as he realized what had prompted her to say that. "Why, you _shalaya_ _devoushka_…"

"I am not naughty!" she protested, trying to look insulted, yet surprised to hear that he knew such words.

"Uh-huh," he replied, donning his shirt and walking to her. "Okay, so I'll pretend I didn't see that thing with the mirror. Where are we going to eat?"

"I found a nice-looking Mexican restaurant," she said, happy he was dropping such a delicate subject.

"Ah. Going for the hot stuff," he said, winking at her.

"I was wrong, he will never leave me alone with this!" she thought, but chose not to add anything.

Which would have been a bad thing at that point, considering she would either start yelling at him or cry. "_Never, ever look at a man that way again!_" she scolded herself.

"Do we walk there or do we take the bus?" he asked, as if nothing had happened.

"It is close by," she replied, praying for him to leave things as they were.

"Okay, let's go. I'm hungry," he continued, holding out his hand as an invitation to take it.

She did not and simply took her purse on the dresser before leaving the room. The young American did not seem to take offense, used as he was of her sometimes abrupt reactions. He was surprised that she had displayed some sort of "girlfriendly" interest in him, and hoped it would develop further later on during the week. He decided not to push the issue and act in a more "gentlemanly" way, although he hoped, smiling in a roguish way, that he could get a glimpse of her at some point…


	4. Chapter 4

Sidestep

A Captain Planet fanfiction (Nov. 7, 2000 - …)

By Isabelle Saucier

isauciervideotron.ca

For the disclaimer, see Chapter 1…

Chapter 4

Dinner went well. A Mariachi band was providing entertainment for a large part of the evening, and the food was quite good. The waitress had brought the dishes as common plates, and the two planeteers could sample a little of everything that was before them. At some point, Wheeler invited the young Russian to dance, but she politely refused, saying that she did not feel like it. He accepted her excuse without saying anything, but told himself he would not be discouraged by it.

Their walk back to the hotel was silent but this time, Linka timidly took his hand as it was dark and despite her being quite capable of defending herself, she was happy to display that she was not alone. She had expected him to make a stupid comment, but he had not; she could however feel his thumb rubbing her hand in a way that was clearly intentional. Perhaps this was his comment, only it was not stupid. It was gentle and reassuring, and… yes, a little exciting at the same time. "_This is not so bad after all…"_ she thought as they stopped at the corner of a street to wait for the crossing sign. "_I could become used to it."_

They walked across the intersection, Wheeler commenting about the crossing sign not appearing long enough, Linka, half lost in her mind. "Ruble for your thoughts," he whispered to her ear when he noticed she was not totally there.

She hesitated. "Why did you bring me here?" she then asked.

"What do you mean? You're not having fun?" he asked back, sounding somewhat worried or disappointed. "We just got here, give it a little more time…"

"No, that is not what I meant. I am enjoying myself so far. I was simply wondering what had prompted you to bring me here."

He shrugged. "I just felt like it. You know me, sometimes I just feel like doing something and I do it without asking questions," then, after a pause, "And I selfishly wanted you all to myself for a while."

Seven years ago, she would have been insulted and angered by his words. Three years ago, she would have been worried about what those words could imply. Tonight, under a streetlight, holding his freckled hand and feeling his gaze on her, she was unsure of what to think. "I mean, no Gi to barge in on us, no Ma-Ti to read our thoughts, or feel our feelings; I'm telling you, sometimes this freaks me out that he can just know things," he continued, as if he did not expect her to say anything.

They arrived at the last street corner before their hotel, and stopped again to wait for the crossing signal. Linka released her hand from his to hug herself thoughtfully. "Wheeler?" she then asked.

"Yeah?" came his reply as he put his hands in his jean pockets.

"Are you… are you going to try to seduce me while we are here?"

"Not if you don't want me to," he said as he began to cross the street, leaving his surprised friend on the sidewalk.

She half-walked, half-trotted to catch up with him. She had expected him to say something like "of course" or "why wouldn't I", and was not certain of how to react. They both finished crossing the street and continued a little further before she said: "Thank you. I suppose."

He pouted, seeming to try to understand why she had answered in that way, but replied nothing. Both planeteers entered the hotel and walked silently to the elevator. "How?" Linka asked, as the cabin was making its way up to the eighth floor.

Wheeler looked at her. "How what?"

"How are you going to do that?"

The elevator door opened and they stepped out. "Do what? Seduce you? I'm not telling, it wouldn't be as much fun," he replied with a grin, hiding the fact that he had no clue as to how he would actually do it.

Linka grimaced, but did not say anything. She hated the unknown and this certainly fell into that category. She could not help but smile when she saw Wheeler was still struggling with the key, but waited until he handed her the card with a sigh. "Well, the room is under my name," she commented, as she opened the door on her first try.

He mumbled as he followed her in, and locked the door behind himself. "What time do you want to get up tomorrow?" he then asked aloud.

She shrugged, looking back at him. "The park is right across the street. We do not need to wake up so much in advance. What do we do for breakfast?"

He was about to reply that he did not know, but saw a piece of paper on the desk next to him and picked it up. "What about this?"

"_Shtoh_ _eteh?_"

"Room service."

"What do they have?"

"Just about anything. We have to leave it on the door, with what we want, and when we want it."

He handed her the paper as she walked back to him. She barely had the time to look at it before being startled by a loud detonation sound coming from outside. "What was that?"

Her question was almost buried under another detonation, and the room was bathed in a green glow coming from the patio door. "Wow!" Wheeler exclaimed, and walked to the balcony.

Linka followed him outside, and they were in time to witness the explosion of a huge purple firework. "We have the best seats!" he continued, sitting down on one of the provided plastic chairs.

The young woman leant on the balcony railing. The fireworks were coming from the theme park, noisy and impressive. Linka thought it was polluting the air, but could not help being fascinated by the display. Both planeteers remained on the balcony to watch until the last spark and the sound of applauding from the crowd died away, and then sat there in silence for a while. "We should probably go to bed," Wheeler offered in a quiet voice.

Linka seemed to hesitate, then nodded and went back inside the room. The young American wondered why she had reacted that way, but did not ask, as he thought he would not obtain an answer anyway. She went in the bathroom to wash and change, and he remained in the "living area" of the room to fill out the room service card.

When Linka came out of the bathroom, she was wearing her shapeless pajama and her hair was braided. She was surprised to see Wheeler wearing his swimming shorts. "I admit that seeing all this beauty at once might be intimidating," he began, gesturing toward himself, "so I will accept to wear those to sleep. Nothing longer, I'll go crazy."

Linka's reaction was somewhere between a snort and laughter. Shaking her head, she went for the bed closer to the bathroom and climbed in it, wincing at the cold contact between her and the sheets. "I arranged for a wake-up call for tomorrow, so we're all set," Wheeler said as he approached between the beds.

The young woman nodded, and smiled as he bent down to gently kiss her lips, then her forehead. "Sleep well, princess."

"You too, Yankee," she replied as he walked to his own bed and settled in it before shutting the lights off.


	5. Chapter 5

Sidestep

A Captain Planet fanfiction (Nov. 7, 2000 - …)

By Isabelle Saucier

isauciervideotron.ca

For the disclaimer, see Chapter 1…

Chapter 5

"We are not lost."

Linka sighed and crossed her arms on her chest. "It is the third time that we pass in front of the same pop corn cart."

Wheeler glared at the pop corn cart in question. "I know where we are," he retorted in an almost childish tone.

"And where is that?"

He darted a look to his right. "We're next to that boring ride you forced me to get on."

The young woman suppressed a chuckle. "It's a Small World was entertaining."

"Boring!"

"It was light-hearted and cute."

"Boooriiiing!"

"It was restful."

"I don't call that restful anymore. I call it a slow, agonizing death! That and I had a hard time getting out of the stupid boat!"

She laughed aloud this time. "It was not that bad."

"Yes it was! You are never getting me back in that thing, I'm warning you!"

She controlled her laughter, then asked: "Well then, where would you want to go?"

"A real man's ride. Pirates!"

She nodded. "Right. And where is that?"

"Ahm," he frowned in concentration, trying to remember the map he had consulted quite a while ago, before putting it back in its stand, "It's that way."

Linka raised an eyebrow. "You are pointing at the Dumbo ride."

Wheeler gave her a dark look and she had to bite her lip so as not to laugh again. "I remember the map, it's on the other side of the castle."

"So is half of the theme park. You should have kept the map."

"Don't need it. Besides, if people don't take them for nothing, they're not wasted and they don't need to make as many."

The young woman saw the logic in his argument and had to agree in a way. "Do you want pop corn while we are here?" she asked, then had to struggle not to laugh again as Wheeler crinkled his eyes.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he asked, shaking his head.

"_Da, otshin mnogah_," she replied before heading for the cart.

He watched her go, smiling despite himself. _"She's been angry at me for less before,"_ he thought, _"I wonder if she's aware of how beautiful she is when she laughs like that?"_

The young woman was talking with the cart operator. She nodded at something he said, then took her purchase, and walked back to Wheeler. "Your English isn't that bad, Babeouska… that's not pop corn," he commented, "It's a churro."

"I know. But it was calling me in the display: 'Linkaa! Linkaa! Pick mee!'" she said in a shrill voice.

He frowned. "You sure you're my girlfriend?"

She smiled and presented him her right hand, showing him her planeteer ring. "I can stop if you want," she replied.

"That's okay," he said in a smile, grabbing her hand to kiss it.

He then swiftly moved to the churro and took a bite out of it, ignoring the young woman's protests and laughing with his mouth full. She mumbled something in Russian and began walking toward Sleeping Beauty Castle, tugging on his shirt for him to follow. "Hey, where are we going?" he asked.

"You want to go to the Pirate ride. It is that way. I asked the churro person," she added, seeing his inquiring glance.

Wheeler shook his head, not so surprised however that she did not trust his sense of direction. The two planeteers walked across the park, Wheeler succeeding in stealing more churro bites on the way. They arrived in front of a large building housing the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. A small line of people was already there, so they stood behind, shaded from the sun by large trees.

Linka looked quietly around as they waited for their turn to board the ride. Other people had followed them into the line, but they were making progress rather quickly, so whoever was joining the line was not waiting a lot. A mother and his son were directly behind the planeteers, and the woman was explaining to him about what they could see. Linka leant on one of the walls as the line of people stopped moving forward, and smiled as Wheeler stood on tiptoes to see if they were close to the actual entrance to the ride. He stepped back down and looked back at her. "Good thing they have planned for shaded spots while we wait," he commented.

The young woman nodded. "Did you see anything interesting?" she asked.

"Not really. It goes back into the building." He put an arm around her shoulders. "If you ever get scared during the ride, remember you just have to huddle against me, and I'll protect you," he stated, taking the opportunity to place a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Right, Yankee," she sighed, smiling nevertheless.

The line moved forward and they entered the building. "Look! They have a restaurant in here!" Linka exclaimed, pointing at the tables beyond the line of ride boats.

The inside of the building was set so it seemed as they were outside, under a starry sky; one could see the diners on the other side of the river, around tables lit with candles. A romantic site worth investigating later on, the young woman thought. She heard the woman behind her say: "Look, Timmy, it may seem is if we're in the middle of the night, but this is not true. It's only pretend. It's still gonna be bright outside when we exit the ride."

Wheeler rolled his eyes, mouthing: "Oh, for crying out loud!"

Linka bit her lip not to laugh, then tugged at her companion's shirt, whispering: "Be nice."

"I'm always nice," he replied before leaning down and kissing her on the neck, just below her ear.

She shivered, as he had found a particularly sensitive spot, and tried to hide her reaction by saying: "We are in public!"

"So? This is Disneyland. They see stuff like this all day long. Happy couple stuff, you know."

He took her hand as the line moved onwards. As they neared the boats, the woman behind them said: "Don't worry, Timmy, the boats are very safe and the water is not deep."

Linka buried her face in Wheeler's shoulder to hide her smile, and caught a glimpse at Timmy himself. The little boy was looking about, interested. He was not very old, but seemed as if he would already know about most of the things his mother was showing him. "Maybe the mother wants to feel secure herself," she thought, but turned her attention towards the boat as they boarded it.

She smiled when she noticed that the seats in the boats were not much larger than those in the Small World ride. "A man's ride indeed," she said.

"Just wait. They do this so you feel safe," he replied.

She smiled, looking away, as the small boat lurched forward. They traveled quietly in the river setting, amongst crickets and banjo music. "Look Timmy! Fireflies!" the woman, sitting behind Wheeler and Linka, said to her son.

"Oh that's just great," Wheeler complained in a low voice, and Linka put her hand on his to calm him down.

He tried to ignore the woman and entwined his fingers in Linka's, sitting back on the plastic seat. The setting changed, becoming gloomier. In the distance, a creepy voice was chanting "Dead man tells no tale… tale…" The young man watched around, interested, when suddenly he heard: "No need to worry Timmy, there will be a drop, but it's not very sharp, it's just meant to seem that way. Just hold down onto the bar, honey."

Wheeler's eyes opened wide in disbelief. "What the…" he began protesting, agitated, but Linka's other hand rested on his thigh and she said softly: "Shush, _Levoushka_, it is all right,"

"She's gonna give all the punches in advance!" he exclaimed, ignoring the drop which was not very sharp indeed, "Some of us haven't been on this ride before!" he added in a louder tone of voice.

"I know, but it is no use being more annoying than her. It is not the end of the world."

"Gee, thanks," he muttered, looking away on his side of the boat.

Linka removed her hand from his thigh. "Maybe she will remain quiet for the rest of the ride," she whispered, bringing her head close to his so only he could hear.

"I hope so."

The boat rounded a corner of the cave setting they were now in, and came into a larger setting portraying a pirate ship attacking a fort. It was quite obvious the special effects were old and that there were no actual fires or cannon balls, but the sound and display was impressive nonetheless. "Now Timmy, don't be afraid, this is not an actual fight, those are special effects to show you how it happened in the past," the woman continued, oblivious of the annoyance she was causing around herself.

"I'll show her a special effect," Wheeler mumbled, balling his ring fist under Linka's hand.

The young woman held his hand where it was and stroked his cheek with her other hand. "We will ride this again, when we are sure she is not around. Please, calm down," she said, leaning her forehead against his.

"She's really annoying," he complained in a low voice, closing his eyes.

"_Ya_ _snayoo, Levoushka_. I know, but there is nothing we can do about it now. We can appreciate it more when we come back."

"It's not the point! We've never been on this ride before!"

"_Levoushka_…" she pleaded.

He sighed. The boat lurched to the left, then right as it followed the ride's river, but he did not pay attention to it, looking at Linka instead. On his left, on the shore, a group of pirates was chanting: "We want the redhead! We want the redhead!"

"Already taken, try elsewhere!" he exclaimed, finally turning around and seeing the lineup of "wives for sale" on his side of the ride.

He smiled at the animatronics, then asked: "How come you don't wear neat dresses like that"

The young Russian leant towards him to look over his shoulder as the exhibit was already behind them, then said: "Why would I wear such a thing? I would look like a… a… bimbo!"

Wheeler laughed heartily, surprised by her choice of words. "Besides," she continued, "You are the redhead, not I. You'd have to wear it."

"Try to explain that to Timmy," he replied, sticking his thumb out toward the back of the boat.

"He is already busy learning that these are not actual alcohol barrels and gold," Linka giggled, as the woman was still talking behind them.

"Of course it's actual gold! They're pirates, they know the difference! They bite into it and stuff" he replied, shaking his head.

He gave her a side-glance, then smiled, paying more or less attention to the ride. Around them, the "pillaged" fort was in flames. Timmy's mother thought it was a good idea to inform her son that this was not a real fire, it was simply drapes and lights. Wheeler could not help but give her a dark look, but the woman did not notice. "Poor Timmy if he's stuck with that all day long," the young man thought.

Linka was still holding his hand; he hoped this was a habit she would keep even after the ride, and not simply a way to make sure he would not use his ring to scare Timmy's mother away. "Not a bad idea in itself," he thought with an evil smile, but knew better than to try.

The boat stopped by hitting another one in front of it. Apparently, this was the end of the ride and the boats were slowly moving up a conveyer belt to reach the unloading area. As the last scenes of the ride slowly went by, Timmy's mother was still talking, explaining that dogs were not actually used as prison wardens and that this was only to be funny. Wheeler leant towards Linka and whispered: "Can you imagine someone actually had a kid with that woman? She was probably explaining how it was happening as the guy..."

"Wheeler!" Linka cut him off, loud enough so that the people in front of them looked at her strangely.

The young woman put her hand over her mouth as a somewhat excuse gesture and to hide her smile, which was threatening to turn into laughter because Wheeler's words had triggered a quite vivid and ridiculous picture in her mind. She looked away from him, and tried to concentrate on the scenery, the catchy ride theme, anything not to crack up. "I know you want to laugh," Wheeler stated.

"_Kontshaee_!" she protested, laughter escaping her throat. "I should be angry at you for saying such things!"

"But you're not since I'm so adorable and funny."

She nodded in a way that meant "looks like you have it all figured out," then bit her lip not to start laughing again.

The boat came at the end of the conveyer belt and settled back into the river of the ride, then stopped next to the loading area. Linka stepped out first, then waited on the dock as Wheeler struggled somewhat to do the same, as his legs were a little too long for the boat seat's size. They exited the ride and ended up in a small gift shop. The young woman was not interested in buying anything, but lingered about, looking at assorted trinkets on the shelves. "Riches for my Lady!" Wheeler stated, pouring plastic gems into her hands.

"Thank you, sir! _Kak_ _meelo s'vashaee staranee_!" she played along, adding a small curtsy for effect.

"I wonder if Timmy will get the seminar on gems and pirate booty..." the young man started, then made a face as he heard: "See, Timmy, these are not real gems, they look just like them so you can play around with them. You can't do that with real gems."

Timmy seemed to find them interesting nevertheless. From the look on his face, he would have wanted to fill up a small pouch with as many as he could, and take them home. But his mother had other plans, and towed him along as they headed for another attraction to visit. "Poor Timshka," Linka sighed, heading towards the gem display to put her "treasure" back where it belonged.

"I know, eh, pretty sad... Man, was she ever annoying! Good thing you were there, Angel."

"Oh so now it is 'Angel'?" she asked with a smile.

"It's your name, ain't it?" he asked back, picking up a pouch and filling it up with gems.

"Well, yes, it is... what are you doing?"

"Nothing. You want to ride that thing again right away?" he replied, walking to the cash register and handing a few dollar bills to the cashier.

"No. We could go and do something else. That way we can, ah, forget more of what is in there and see it with new eyes."

The young American gave her the pouch, and although it probably was one of the tackiest things they had in the store, she felt as warm and gushy inside as if he had gotten her a priceless gift. She thanked him, blushing like a schoolgirl, and they exited the store, hand in hand. "We could come back and have dinner inside," she offered as they strolled leisurely down the crowded path.

"What kind of food do they have?"

"Cajun. I saw a menu in the store."

"Coolies! Yeah, we can do that! Hey, did you happen to see where Timmy and his mother went?"

"No, why?"

"I just don't want to go in the same direction."

"We simply have to run away if we see them. Where to now?"

"Dunno. How about them bobsled thingies?"

"Are you game to stick your arms up the whole ride long this time?"

"You little dare-devil… I might. That snowman is pretty scary though."

"Right," she replied with a smile, leading him once more across the park.


	6. Chapter 6

Sidestep

A Captain Planet fanfiction (Nov. 7, 2000 - …)

By Isabelle Saucier

isauciervideotron.ca

For the disclaimer, see Chapter 1…

Chapter 6

By the time evening came around, Wheeler had been challenged to stick his arms up in most, if not all of the roller-coaster type rides in the park. He had actually succeeded in most, except for the Splash Mountain, where fifty-plus feet of drop had been too much, even for Linka. Dinner had been quite enjoyable, and no party-pooper came to sit behind them in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

They were ambling along on the paths, looking for a few last rides to visit before leaving. They set their choices on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad first—Wheeler had a good time laughing at Linka because she had a hard time saying the whole name right—then headed towards the Haunted Mansion, one of their favorite rides in the whole park.

As they approached, they noticed that the lineup was rather long, but decided to wait nevertheless. Wheeler, who was somewhat in the lead, suddenly stopped and Linka bumped into him. "What?" she asked, confused.

"Great," came his reply, and she understood as she looked towards the line of people.

Timmy and his mother had just joined the line of people. "Now what?" Wheeler asked, turning towards the young Russian.

"We go anyway. Even if we are close in the lineup, we will be in separate carts afterwards," she replied, walking towards the Mansion.

"I hope she shuts up," he mumbled, then louder: "Timmy!" as if he were meeting with an old friend.

Timmy's mother gave him a strange look, and Linka swatted him on his arm as a warning gesture. He was up to something, she could feel it.

They waited for a while, then moved forward as a group of guests entered the Mansion. Linka was still trying to figure out what her boyfriend was going to do when he addressed Timmy again: "Yo, Timmy, you sure are brave to go in this ride," he paused for dramatic effect, ignoring Linka's hand tugging on his shirt. "I mean, there's all kinds of monsters and ghosts and dead people and stuff in there."

Linka's tug was more insistent, but it did not bother Wheeler at all. "And disembodied heads that jump at you! It's pretty freaky stuff." The young man looked at the somewhat outraged mother, then concluded: "Wouldn't want the poor kid to have any surprises, you know."

Linka hesitated between kicking him and pulling on his ear. "Stop that, you will scare him!" she whispered harshly into his ear.

He pulled his tongue at her, but did it so quickly that only she noticed. "It is sad that we cannot pay a child admission rate for you; you can really act the part," she commented.

His reply was a noisy kiss on her forehead, and a wiggle of this dark copper eyebrows. Linka was about to comment back, when an ominous-looking cast member walked by, bellowing: "All right, move all of the bodies forward as close to the entrance as possible!"

"Hear that, Timmy? Move the bodies… you know what that means," Wheeler said, nodding knowingly.

He felt Linka's foot on his; he turned around, faked being startled, then said: "Hello!" in a laughing voice.

The young woman's expression was stern, but her eyes were twinkling in mischief. "There, look at this," she ordered, taking his shoulders and turning him away from Timmy.

"Look at what? There's nothing! The view's more interesting on the other side," he replied, turning back around.

"Behave. She will call security."

"I'd like to see that, being arrested by a bunch of Mickey Mice," he stated, then turned his attention away from Timmy's mother to better hug the young Russian.

Linka let him, despite the fact that she thought he was being too familiar for such a public place. She, however, enjoyed his warmth. And she did find his arms comfortable—of course, he did not have to know about that. "So, having fun so far?" he asked in her ear, matching his steps to hers in order to keep her in his embrace as they moved forward.

"You know I am enjoying myself. You had a very good idea in bringing me here."

"You have no idea how happy you just made me, Babe," he stated quite seriously next to her ear.

As if on cue, Timmy's mother chose that moment to tell his son about how impossible it was for the undertaker horse's tack to hold up in the air like that and they must be using wires and such to hold it up. Wheeler groaned in Linka's shoulder. Smiling despite herself, she patted his hand soothingly. "It is all right," she said gently.

He replied with another groan and she had to move away because he was tickling her. The next group was entering the Mansion and they had to move through turnstiles anyway, so he could not hold her anymore. The ominous-looking cast member was still walking along the lineup, telling people to move as forward as they could. Then, the Mansion's doors opened and a pair of sinister-looking cast members directed the guests inside. "They're really into it," Wheeler thought as he passed the cast member on his left.

The group of people entered a small antechamber, then the doors were closed behind them. A low, baleful voice came out of nowhere, welcoming the guests in a disquieting manner. Wheeler and Linka had been there several times already and looked about, amused. For once, Timmy's mother was silent, seemingly mesmerized by the voice. On one side of the room, teenaged, "seasoned", riders were reciting the host's speech along, clearly enjoying themselves. Linka was beginning to remember a few parts herself and was tempted to go along as well.

The host suddenly laughed maniacally and Timmy's mother jumped, startled. Timmy himself, Linka noticed, seemed unphased, if not slightly annoyed by his mother's reaction.

That is when the young Russian had a most sudden and Weeler-ish idea. The room went dark in a deafening thunderclap, and a hangman became visible through the ceiling. At the same moment, a piercing scream came out of nowhere, and Linka (as well as the seasoned riders) went with it as best as she could—and she could be quite good at screaming.

Wheeler started, not expecting such a reaction from her. Timmy's mother, for her part, half panicked, wailing: "Oh my God!" and putting her hands to her face. Timmy had the best reaction of all: he burst out laughing, followed closely by Linka, for whom the foolishness of her act, the poor scared woman and the laughing boy were too much.

Wheeler, greatly amused by the situation, had to help her out of the antechamber and into the loading area. "That was so cool, Babe!" he congratulated her, as they approached the treadmill that flanked the carts. "I think she jumped three feet in the air!"

A fresh burst of laughter escaped her throat as she boarded the cart. "I cannot believe I just did this!" she hiccupped, then had another fit of laughter to which Wheeler could not resist that time. "And you said I could not be spontaneous," she added.

"I take all that back," he replied, "This whole trip was worth just seeing you do that!"

She tried to regain her composure, but failed miserably, tears running down her cheeks as she giggled, unable to stop. The young man handed her a tissue so she could wipe her eyes, which she did as soon as she was able to calm down somewhat. "My stomach hurts," she said, short of breath.

"Gee, I wonder why?"

The young woman took a deep breath, then set her hands on her lap. "Okay, that was… interesting," she stated, trying to pay attention to the actual ride.

Things went smoothly for a while, then, the ride stopped, either because of some momentary problem or to let a slower guest on or off a cart. The two Planeteers were in a graveyard setting, and a disembodied head was launching itself repeatedly at them, screeching. Linka fought her laughter as best as she could, but lost, and slumped back into her seat, her hands to her mouth to trying to contain herself. Smiling, Wheeler half-asked, half-stated: "You're tired, aren't you?"

She nodded. "_Da, ya oostal_."

"Thought so."

Linka managed to take deep breaths, fanning her face with her hand. "Wow, I have not laughed like this in a long time," she commented.

"I believe it," he replied, looking at her.

There was not much lighting where they were, but he could see that her eyes were still a little teary from laughing and her lips were set in a smile. She felt his gaze on her and looked back. "_Shto_?" she asked.

He shook his head, as if to say: "Nothing", then leant forward to kiss her. The cart began to move at the same time, so he was pushed against her most inelegantly. "Sorry," he apologized.

"No you are not."

"You're right," he admitted with a crooked grin, before actually kissing her and sitting back normally in the cart.

They eventually came next to the unloading treadmill and the two planeteers exited the ride. They walked out of the Mansion, then on a path taking them slowly back to the middle of the park. "Let us go shopping before we leave!" the young woman exclaimed enthusiastically, clapping her hands and turning around to face her companion.

He clapped his hands as enthusiastically, imitating her. "Let's don't and say we did!" he exclaimed back.

"That is not nice! You know I enjoy shopping! Please? It will not take long."

Wheeler rolled his eyes. "You just want to look at all those pins they have. And the plushies. And the postcards. And the…"

"I will leave you in the candy store and pick you up on my way out," she offered.

"No! No leaving me alone in the candy joint! Too many good-looking things in there!"

"You could select pastries for breakfast tomorrow."

"That's torture and you know it," he complained. "I'm trying to watch my figure, ya know!"

She laughed. "Okay, Yankee."

As they walked past the bakery and its tantalizing aromas, Wheeler could not help casting it a semi-tortured glance. Linka stopped and pushed him gently toward the store. "I shall be at the Emporium," she said, before kissing his cheek and leaving his side.

"Traitor," he mumbled, then entered the store, a smile on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Sidestep

A Captain Planet fanfiction (Nov. 7, 2000 - …)

By Isabelle Saucier

isauciervideotron.ca

For the disclaimer, see Chapter 1…

Chapter 7

Linka turned the hair dryer off, then put it back on the wall support. Normally, she would have let her hair dry naturally, but it was close to bed time and her hair would have been all cottony the following day. She brushed the golden strands to braid them, but stopped when she heard Wheeler's roar of laughter coming from the room. "What are you laughing at?" she asked, coming out of the bathroom.

"They're lowering a plastic snake down from a tree in front of unsuspecting people," he explained.

"Why would they want to do that?"

"It's one of those prank shows."

Linka wondered at the reason for scaring those poor people off, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand to hold back a giggle as a particularly expressive victim danced away from the snake. "This is horrible," she commented, yet snickered at another attempt and Wheeler's fresh burst of laughter.

When the program switched to another type of prank, the young woman walked to Wheeler's bed, where he was propped against his pillows, and sat down next to him. It felt good to sit down after their second day of visiting. Wheeler had taken her to Universal Studios, where they visited various movie sets and "lived the movies" through rides. She had been greatly amused to see that her companion had found something actually more boring in his opinion than It's a Small World—the E.T. ride.

Before boarding the ride, they had been asked for their names, to which the young man had enthusiastically replied "Timmy!" Then, he had patiently waited about thirty seconds into the ride to make sure he hated it, then began making wisecracks—being however polite enough to speak in a low voice so only Linka could hear. As they came out of the ride, the small extra-terrestrial thanked every person on board the "bicycle" they were on. Strangely enough, their names came out as "Tobiah" and "Linda", to which Wheeler commented: "No wonder he wants to go home, he forgot his hearing aid. Them buggers are expensive, you know!"

The young woman smiled, remembering his words, then laughed as some prank actor made it look as he was waving at a victim, but kept walking to greet some accomplice farther away.

The scene changed for a commercial, and she felt something tugging at her pajamas shirt, pulling her back towards the headboard. She resisted at first, but the tug was too insistent and she fell back into Wheeler's embrace. "What are you doing?" she asked laughingly, then cuddled up into a more comfortable position.

He rested his cheek against her head, but said nothing. They watched the rest of the program, then it was followed by an old movie. "What are we doing tomorrow?" the young woman enquired as she stroked his stomach absently.

He took her hand in his and moved it to his lips. "I thought we could rest. You know, sleep late, catch a movie, go swimming, that kind of stuff," he replied, kissing her fingers between words.

He would have done more than kiss her fingers, but thought she would not agree and put her hand back on his chest, covering it with his own. Although he sometimes made stupid jokes or comments about the two of them getting closer, he would never force her to do anything. He concentrated on the movie, feeling a little ashamed to think about sex when she was only beginning to relax and get closer to him.

After a while, he felt a slight shift in the way the young woman's arm was resting against him. He did not dare move, but her breathing told him that she was asleep. _"This is so neat!" _he thought, a sudden burst of warmth flooding his stomach. _"She's well enough to just fall asleep there!"_

He slowly moved his arm to the television remote and pressed the power button, hoping the noise would not wake her up. It did not. _"You have no idea of how many times I've dreamt of this!"_ he added to himself, struggling not to touch her and wake her up. _"I'm probably gonna regret this tomorrow, you know," _he concluded, hoping his legs or arms, or worse, his neck, would not suffer too much from his half-reclining position.

Nevertheless, he rested his head on the wall behind him and closed his eyes.

Linka slowly opened her eyes. From where she was, she could see the clock on the television table. Three thirty. As her brain processed the information, she realized that she was not in her bed. Wheeler's left arm was not around her waist anymore, but she was still cuddled up to him and could feel his chest move as he breathed evenly in his sleep.

She was somewhat comfortable, but it felt awkward. She should not have been there. She closed her eyes a moment to savor his warmth, then carefully moved away and stood up. If he awoke, it did not show, as he remained where he was. As she padded to her bed, she tried to be as silent as she could. She regretted leaving his side when she felt the cold sheets on her, but told herself it was better that way. It was reasonable. She was warming up to him too fast and it was wrong. She had warmed up to a much less "enthusiastic" man than the redhead in the past and had been seriously burned.

Linka frowned. Why was she thinking of Yuri at this time? Why was she even comparing the two men? There was nothing to compare, they were too different! Yuri was taller than Wheeler, with a dark handsomeness to him. He was serious, responsible, level-headed; the type of man any parent would have liked their daughter to bring home, she thought with a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. He had not been particularly mean, now that she thought about it, he had just been, what, cold? Logical, rather. Perhaps a bit introverted. Not that it was uncommon in young men, she thought, smiling despite herself. Wheeler himself was like that at times, but he was also able to show a lot of compassion and gentleness, in particular if he thought that no one saw him "go soft". And he was not serious—most of the time anyway. And he was not necessarily level-headed either. He was more like a freckled bull in a china shop.

She heard him move and turned her head. She would barely make him out, but knew he was awake by the way his head was moving. He was probably looking for her. When he noticed her outline in the other bed, he let out a sigh, then settled down in a normal sleeping position. Linka held back an understanding sigh, as it would have betrayed her awakened state, then forced her eyes closed, even if she did not feel so much asleep anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

Sidestep

A Captain Planet fanfiction (Nov. 7, 2000 - …)

By Isabelle Saucier

isauciervideotron.ca

For the disclaimer, see Chapter 1…

Chapter 8

She must have fallen asleep at some point because she woke up lying on her stomach. The room was silent, but a few rays from the window indicated it was morning. The young woman lifted her head to see if her companion was still sleeping; she was surprised to see that the other bed was empty. _"Levoushka?"_ she called, but he did not answer.

Frowning, the young woman sat up in bed, then noticed a piece of paper on the table close to the window. She went to pick it up and opened the curtains to have some light to read it.

_"Gone to get milk._

_Try not to miss me too much._

_I should return shortly._

_J._

_P.S.: You really look like an angel when you sleep."_

She blushed furiously, exclaiming: "I do not!" to the young man—wherever he was.

She kept the message, smiling despite herself, and put it in her purse before changing into shorts and a tank top. She was setting up the table when she heard someone fumbling with the door. Holding back a laugh, she walked to the door. "Are you having problems?" she asked.

"Nope," came the muffled reply.

"You have to swipe the card faster than that," she advised, looking through the fisheye.

He looked back into the fisheye, even if he could not see anything. "Hey! Cut that out!"

He then let out an exclamation of triumph as he succeeded in unlocking and opening the door. Performing a little victory dance as he entered the room, he put his purchases on the dresser next to him, then said: "Good morning, my beautiful angel princess!" before pulling her close by tugging on her pigtails and kissing her.

"Someone is in a good mood," she commented back as he victory-danced to the table, picking the milk carton on the way.

He victory-danced back towards the other end of the room and gathered a few items in his suitcase, as the young woman put the pastries they had bought in Universal Studios on the table. "Where's your bathing suit, Babeouska?" he asked, but did not wait for her answer and began looking through her things.

Linka suspected that he was trying to find her underwear at the same time, but he said nothing related to that as he pulled out the black garment. "And why would I be needing this?"

"Because we're going to Catalina Island. I thought it would be different from going to just Malibu or something."

"Just Malibu or something," she repeated, as if she were talking about some dirt on the floor, then smiled. "You do not feel like mingling with the celebrities and the roller bladers and the bikini babes?"

He shrugged. "They'd all be jealous of you anyway," he commented before leaving the garment on the bed and sitting at the table to eat breakfast.

She snorted a laugh. "I do not think I can compete. They are all fakes anyway." Her laugh increased and she swatted at him. "Ack! What are you making me say?"

He stopped drinking milk (from the carton, no less) and looked at her, grinning. "This vacation is really doing you some good. I regret not doing this sooner!"

There is a good timing for everything, Yankee. I might have said 'no' before," she replied.

"You would have said 'no' before."

"True," she admitted.

She stood up and went to put her bathing suit under her normal clothes. As she put her underclothes, and towels, in a backpack, she asked: "How come you have not given up on me over the years?"

He shrugged. "I'm either real stupid or hooked on you so bad I'll keep trying 'till the day I die."

"And you have never felt like giving up?"

"Yeah, sometimes," he replied, picking up the things on the table to put them away.

The young woman waited for him to continue, but he said nothing and went into the bathroom to imitate her with his own bathing suit. Linka felt a little downhearted that he had considered stopping to woo her—in his strange, sometimes annoying, way—and could not help but ask: "What kept you from giving up?"

"You mean aside from the fact that I'm stubborn as a mule? I dunno. I get this great buzz when you smile at me; I think it outweighs any doubts I could have."

They stared at each other as he came out of the smaller room. "How can this be one of the corniest and most romantic things you have ever said at the same time?" she asked.

"I'm special that way," came his reply as he closed the bag.

She could not help but laugh. "I will grant you that, Yankee. So… when is our shuttle picking us up?"

The young man looked at his watch. "Actually, about 20 minutes, but they're picking us up at the hotel next door. I guess it's easier for them and they make less stops that way."

"So we should be going?"

"Yup. Are you ready?"

"Lead the way," the young woman replied as he shouldered the backpack and they both left the room.


End file.
